After crackdowns in Asia, is Ukraine the world’s next ‘online baby store’?
- Surrogacy industry in Ukraine exploded after India and Thailand outlawed commercial surrogacy for foreigners
- Up to 3,000 children are born every year through surrogacy for foreign parents, a third of whom are Chinese
Tears of joy stream down Andrea Viez’s face as she lifts her baby boy, born to a surrogate mother in Ukraine.
“He’s a star,” the Argentinian in her late 40s says, her voice trembling.
After nine years of trying to have a child, Viez can finally hold her son in her arms, thanks to a booming surrogacy industry in Ukraine that has given hope to thousands of struggling would-be parents.
But behind their dream-come-true is a highly profitable and murky business that many worry is taking advantage of desperate young women and operating in a grey zone open to abuse.
“Ukraine is becoming an international online baby store,” the country’s commissioner for children’s rights Mykola Kuleba warned last month, condemning the “exploitation” of Ukrainian women and calling for a ban on the industry.
The fact that Ukraine is one of the few countries allowing commercial surrogacy for foreigners was oddly thrown into the spotlight by the coronavirus.